Skate Fenders: Local invention produced here

GAYLORD — Lifelong hockey player and Gaylord resident Frank McClelland invented a product based on a simple statement: “It hurts to get hit in the foot.”

McClelland began developing his product, Skate Fenders, as a way to protect hockey players’ feet from sticks, skates and, especially, pucks.

By using companies from the area, including Gaylord-based Mayfair Plastics for production, McClelland is in the process of creating a true Northern Michigan success story.

What began as an idea has taken off to protect the feet of players on 17 NHL teams, including Detroit Red Wings key defensemen Nicklas Kronwall and Brad Stuart.

The rise in popularity of Skate Fenders may coincide with rising speed of hockey. Getting hit in the foot not only hurts, but due to equipment innovations that have increased the speed of the game, it also leads to increased opportunities for injuries.

“Skates are made today to be light and fast,” according to McClelland. “The material behind the toe is thinner and more flexible, increasing the risk of injury.”

New sticks also contribute to increased dangers. Composite sticks are far more popular with professional players than their wooden counterparts, due to lighter weight and an increased flexibility. It is a common occurrence today to see a 100 mph slap shot in a professional game.

“A puck traveling 100 mph has the same velocity as a .22 caliber bullet,” McClelland said.

And it appears to be taking its toll on players. A recent study by Podiatry Today stated that “11 percent of all hockey injures occur in the foot.”

Retiring from Southern Michigan from his job in education, McClelland moved to the Gaylord area in 2004 and found that he finally had the time to develop the product he had been contemplating for years.

After using his own skate to create the rough idea, McClelland sent it to a Canadian company for prototypes. He found that the prototypes suffered from cracking.

The Canadian company distributed a small amount of them into the hockey world and it did not take long for McClelland to receive a phone call. It was the trainer for the Calgary Flames asking for a meeting at an upcoming Red Wings game.

Unhappy with the product and unsure what to expect, McClelland went to the game and was met by Red Wings trainer Paul Boyer.

“He approached me with one of the Skate Fenders, and it had a big crack in it,” said McClelland. “I told him that this wasn’t the product that I wanted, but he said, ‘I want six more pair.’ I said that he didn’t want these, but he interrupted me, pointed and said, ‘That could have been Nick Kronwall’s foot.’”

McClelland then met with the Calgary Flames trainer who approached him holding a Skate Fender broken in two. He also wanted more.

McClelland was seeing increasing demand, but also had to figure out a way to improve upon his product.

He called upon another Northern Michigan institution, Lake Superior State University’s Product Development Center (PDC).

“We are the first university in the state to have a program of this kind,” explained Eric Becks, engineering product manager for the program.

The PDC offers assistance to inventors who have a good idea but little resources, performing a broad spectrum of engineering services, planning and assistance with finding companies for production.

Students receive real-world experience at the supervision of project managers.

“In Frank’s (McClellend) case we created computer-aided drawings in 3-D and did 3-D scanning of some of the boots of some of the Red Wings’ players as well as drawings for the molds,” Becks said.

“We looked at the other process and knew we needed to do some thing different. He was concerned with repeatability and strength and we thought, we really need to get this molded.”

Once the molds were completed, McClelland chose Mayfair Plastics of Gaylord for the manufacturing process.

It was no accident that the companies involved are local.

“I could have gone to China to have these produced,” McClelland said.

But being a Michigan native, McClelland values the idea of being a Michigan company.

With improved design has come increased sales. In the first year of production, Skate Fenders sold 5,000 pairs. In the first four months of this year, orders are already estimated to be around 2,500.

“We have 1,400 pairs that are on back order right now. Most of those are for Europe and Canada,” said McClelland.

With the liability of losing players who have multi-year contracts, some teams have taken a proactive approach to injuries.

“I received a phone call from a team in L.A. and they ordered 60 pairs,” McClelland said. “It was for a rookie camp and the general manager was making Skate Fenders mandatory for all players to wear.”

By providing a product that is affordable and durable, McClelland has spread the name of Gaylord all over the U.S., Canada, and even as far away as Scotland and Spain.

For more information about Skate Fenders, visit www.skatefenders.com. For more information about Lake Superior State University Product Development Center, visit www.lsssu.edu/eng/pdc.